Pro-gamer admits to doping in eSports

Does eSports have a doping problem? If the recent comments of a professional Counter Strike: Global Offensive player are an indication, yes -- and it's one that organisers are well aware of.

Kory Friesen, who played in tournaments with the Cloud9 team under the tag SEMPHIS, admitted that his entire team used the psychostimulant Adderall during a major Electronic Sports League competition. Friesen had been competing at the ESL One Katowice event in Poland in March, which had a prize pool of $250,000 (£160,000).

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Friesen, who signed with the Nihilum gaming team in April, made his comments during a video interview with Mohan "Launders" Govindasamy. The admission came when he was quizzed on the nature of the communications between the Cloud9 team members during the games. "The ESL comms were kind of funny in my opinion," he told Govindasamy. "I don't even care. We were all on Adderall. I don't even give a f**k. It was pretty obvious if you listened to the comms. People can hate it or whatever."

When quizzed on the prevalence of the drug in eSports and whether "everyone does Adderall", Friesen adds, "yeah," before saying, "and you can hear it in the comms right? That's what was so funny to me. Like 'shit comms, so hectic.' So yeah that might clear up some of the questions of why it was like that".

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As an amphetamine, Adderall -- sometimes colloquially referred to as "addy" -- is regarded as a Class B drug under UK law, and is a prescription medication in the US, often used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its legality and availability differs from country to country, though it is considered a Schedule II drug under the United Nation's Convention on Psychotropic Substances, the second most restricted category.

The drug's appeal to pro-gamers (and, increasingly, students) comes from its tendency to focus the user's mind and stave off general fatigue. It can improve reaction and cognition, and even boost muscle strength, making it a substance abused by more active athletes.

The ESL's official rules do not specifically ban Adderall, though the general anti-drugs stance is that: "To play a match, be it online or offline, under the influence of any drugs, alcohol, or other performance enhancers is strictly prohibited, and may be punished with exclusion."

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Michal Blicharz, managing director of the ESL, has previously told Eurogamer that "drug-taking did not seem commonplace at the highest levels of eSports" when investigated during a 2014 Dota 2 tournament, and that "the stakes in eSports are, bar a couple of exceptions, not high enough to inspire people to experiment with drugs."

Friesen's comments, and even Govindasamy's casual acceptance of the practice, may indicate otherwise.

WIRED.co.uk has contacted eSports organising bodies, including the ESL, IeSF, and Gfinity for comment on doping in the field. This story will be updated accordingly.